After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next? • Hacker News Board

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#151

Post by randomsearch » Sun, Apr 22, 2018, 8:36 PM UTC

modeless wrote: post #125

zeta0134 wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay actually, I would pay to use most of Google's good services. I expect them to do advertising and they do not (!) need that kind of data on me for their search result advertising to be relevant. They have my search term; that should be enough in isolation. I would pay handsomely for Google Maps, but I have no such option. Again though, that is a service that works just fine without my individual data; they have m…

> actually, I would pay to use most of Google's good services. A lot of people say this. You already can pay for Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar, Photos, and YouTube. Are you paying for them?

How do I pay?

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#152

Post by cube2222 » Sun, Apr 22, 2018, 9:01 PM UTC

downandout wrote: post #121

murukesh_s wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's time a model will come up where you have an option to choose between an ad supported and paid version.

Take a keyword like "mesothelioma". Are you going to personally reimburse Google for the $100 that an advertiser would pay them for your click that they will lose by not showing you an ad with this keyword?

The average click is worth much less though. And the main idea of subscription based flat-priced services is that in average, you profit.

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#153

Post by kwoff » Sun, Apr 22, 2018, 9:11 PM UTC

Bombthecat wrote: post #149

rapnie wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got a number of people to switch to DuckDuckGo by sending DDG query url's to them: "Hey, there is a ton of info on this subject!" (sends DDG query)

DDG uses Google. If they grow too big Google will just switch them off..

Exactly why Google needs to be reined in.

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#154

Post by Normal_gaussian » Sun, Apr 22, 2018, 9:13 PM UTC

simfoo wrote: post #86

justinzollars wrote: post #35

Concerned that google has so much info ( https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity ) I visited https://myaccount.google.com/activitycontrols to turn off Web & App Activity, but left Voice & Audio Activity on. This breaks my google home. I do not want Google to save 20 years of search history so I can use a stupid google home. For the first time I'm considering Apple's device. This is a dark pattern Google

They also do this with Google Maps on Android. Disabled Location History sharing with Google? Sorry, we cannot remember the last search term you entered in Google Maps ON THE SAME DEVICE. This is so infuriating

No saved places, and it also breaks time estimations for journeys

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#155

Post by modeless » Sun, Apr 22, 2018, 9:18 PM UTC

randomsearch wrote: post #151

modeless wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> actually, I would pay to use most of Google's good services. A lot of people say this. You already can pay for Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar, Photos, and YouTube. Are you paying for them?

How do I pay?

G Suite for Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar + phone support + other stuff: https://gsuite.google.com/pricing.html

Or, Drive storage by itself, which applies to most products with storage quotas such as Gmail and Photos: https://www.google.com/drive/pricing/

For YouTube, YouTube Red: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6305537

Another interesting experiment in the willingness of users to pay to remove ads is Google Contributor: https://contributor.google.com/

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#156

Post by joshuamorton » Sun, Apr 22, 2018, 9:19 PM UTC

amelius wrote: post #134

jacksmith21006 wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google would be the last to sell your data as they know better then anyone the value. This and security is why I try to centralize my data at Google. In the US an ISP can sell your data without you even knowing. https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2017/04/04/isps-can... ISPs can now collect and sell your data: What to know ... - USA Today

But they do sell your data. For example, let's say a bad actor creates a Google ad for pizzas, directed at gay people. Now if you see and click that pizza ad, the bad actor will know your sexual orientation.

No they won't. They'll know that there exists a person who probably likes pizza and is gay. They don't know who that person is.

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#157

Post by rapnie » Sun, Apr 22, 2018, 9:20 PM UTC

randomsearch wrote: post #150

rapnie wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfamiliarity also goes a long way. I recently switched to DuckDuckGo. In the beginning I would compare my search queries with results from Google.. found there wasn't all that much difference.

+1 for DDG. I’ve been experimenting with it as default in Safari and it’s so similar I often find myself wondering “when did google change their layout?”

I just heard someone mentioning above that it was based on Google, which I wasn't aware of.. I will do a search on that :)

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#158

Post by amelius » Sun, Apr 22, 2018, 9:26 PM UTC

joshuamorton wrote: post #156

amelius wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But they do sell your data. For example, let's say a bad actor creates a Google ad for pizzas, directed at gay people. Now if you see and click that pizza ad, the bad actor will know your sexual orientation.

No they won't. They'll know that there exists a person who probably likes pizza and is gay. They don't know who that person is.

They do.

The first step is that you are only shown the ad if you are gay. This means that if somebody clicks the ad, then they must be gay.

The second step is that if you click the ad and order the pizza, the pizza company (=bad actor) will ask for your details (e.g. name, address). This information can then be coupled to your sexual orientation.

And this happens without you knowing. All you think is that you are ordering pizza.

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#159

Post by skinnymuch » Sun, Apr 22, 2018, 9:36 PM UTC

product50 wrote: post #81

justinzollars wrote: post #35

Concerned that google has so much info ( https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity ) I visited https://myaccount.google.com/activitycontrols to turn off Web & App Activity, but left Voice & Audio Activity on. This breaks my google home. I do not want Google to save 20 years of search history so I can use a stupid google home. For the first time I'm considering Apple's device. This is a dark pattern Google

Yeah - you want to make use of Google services (search, maps, youtube, Photos etc.) for free and don't want to give anything in return. #entitlement Also, most likely you turning off tracking will impact your Google experience. Google is different than Facebook in that they offer real value services without which you can't survive a day on the web. Just count how many times you rely on a Google service in a day. The…

Do you really think everyone relies on Google that much? I don’t have some vendetta against Google but I don’t count on their stuff much. Besides Gmail which I havent given the time to at least partially migrate from (only because I have multiple emails and would rather they be with multiple providers), I use the calendar for syncing and YouTube. Neither gmail nor calendars is something I need from google. It’s just I’ve never changed.

I’m sure the majority of people do rely on Google quite a bit. But not everyone.

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#160

Post by georgebarnett » Sun, Apr 22, 2018, 9:36 PM UTC

Bombthecat wrote: post #146

freehunter wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This has been my stance for about five years now. I don’t want to give all this info to companies I don’t trust. Apple devices might cost more, but Apple only makes money from you when you give them money. Google and Facebook make money when you give them money and then make money when you give them information too. There’s a perverse incentive, they want you to use it more and give them more information because they…

I'm pretty sure that one day Apple will also use / sell your data. Why? Because it makes them even more money...

What evidence do you have for this baseless accusation?

Apple have been hammering Google on privacy for many years and they have an incredible track record on privacy when they’ve had their feet held to the fire with the FBI.